


Haloes

by Lils_20



Category: The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde
Genre: I'm Sorry, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, My First AO3 Post, Nipple Piercings, Painting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-18
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-13 17:01:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29529570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lils_20/pseuds/Lils_20
Summary: Apparently nipple rings were fairly common in all genders in the 1890s, and this fact is so monumentally funny to me that I had to write about it.Basically, Henry talked Dorian into some...interesting piercings, and Basil discovers them while working on a painting.My apologies to Mr. Wilde.
Relationships: Dorian Gray/Basil Hallward
Comments: 3
Kudos: 15





	Haloes

Basil was not generally one to paint his models in any state of undress, but he was also not one to turn down a commission. He had talked to Dorian about the issue and he seemed fine with it, but there was still a certain level of nervousness there, for both of them.  
Basil was also generally not one to judge his friends’ personal choices- he understood that he had given himself precious few real options in life, and if other people wanted to pick from the many other things he himself had never quite felt comfortable considering, that was all right. But there was still a part of him that became incredibly suspicious when Dorian smiled sheepishly at him.  
“What is it?”  
“Nothing much.” Dorian glanced at the floor as he undid the top button of his shirt. “Just something that Henry talked me into last weekend.”  
Basil was immediately concerned. “What did he-”  
“Don’t give me that look, Basil. You know he means well.”  
“Perhaps he thinks he does, but I’m suspicious of anything he thinks is good for you, Dorian. You remember Halloween, don’t you?”  
Dorian looked up, an expression of petulant frustration etched across his face. “This is different, Basil. It's entirely harmless- just a bit of fun."  
"That is exactly what you said last time."  
Dorian sighed. "What if I just show you?" He had undone all of his buttons and began to free his shirttails. “You’re going to love it.”  
Basil watched in confusion as Dorian shrugged his shirt off, then laid an arm demurely across his chest. “What?”  
“You haven’t seen yet.” Dorian gave him a long look, then lowered his arm. Basil blinked, then squinted.  
“You got nipple piercings?”  
“I did. Are you-” Dorian struck a dramatic pose. “-strangely attracted to me?”  
Basil shot him a look. “Why are you the way you are?”

~~~

Several hours passed in relative silence, save for the scratching of Basil’s pencil and the soft sighing of the breeze through the half-open window. Basil would occasionally glance up at Dorian, but most of his time was spent squinting furiously at his canvas. At length, he stood up.  
“I hate to bother you, Dorian.”  
Dorian grinned. “This is a prelude to you bothering me, isn’t it?”  
Basil approached him. “Yes.”  
“All right, what is it?”  
Basil glanced away. “This may seem somewhat intrusive, and of course you’re allowed to refuse, but-”  
“But?” Dorian had not stopped grinning. “Are you going to tie me up or something?”  
“Well, yes. But only if you’re amenable- I was having a difficult time with the rope texture, and I think it may be helpful if I could see how it would lay on you.”  
There was a silence that went on for just slightly too long.  
“So?”  
“So?”  
“May I?”  
Dorian glanced up at him. “Why haven’t you already?”

~~~

The morning faded into afternoon, and the afternoon faded into evening. Basil had dropped his pencil and picked up a small paintbrush, then set it back down. He stood up and addressed Dorian.  
“How long ago did you have them done?”  
Dorian raised a single eyebrow. “Have what done?”  
Basil cocked his head. “You know what I mean. The piercings.”  
Dorian considered the question for a moment. “Oh, about a week ago.”  
“Are they still sore?” Basil caught himself staring at Dorian’s chest far more intently than he would like, and quickly glanced away.  
“Not very much. A little bit, but I can deal with it- I’m an adult.”  
“All right.” He paused, then cleared his throat awkwardly. “Well, would you mind moving them a little? I mean, if it’s not too much trouble…”  
Dorian stared at him blankly, then gave the ropes restraining his hands a few pointed tugs.  
“Ah. Right.” Basil reached up, then paused. “May I move them?”   
“Sure.”  
Basil reached for the small golden rings and slid the left one slightly upward, then glanced at Dorian, gauging his reaction. His eyes were closed and he was biting his lower lip.  
“Are you all right, Dorian?”  
Dorian nodded and slowly opened his eyes. “More than.”  
“May I move the other one?”  
“You can do whatever you like.” Dorian grinned lazily, then moved his hips forward illustratively. “I would be utterly unable to stop you.”  
Basil felt his face grow hot. “I-”  
Dorian leaned forward. “Well? Go on, then.”

~~~

Lady Julia Shaw was generally disinterested in interrupting other people's personal lives, but when she realized that she had forgotten to mention the sort of background she wanted for the painting of Saint Sebastian she had commissioned, she realized that there was nothing for it but to do just that. This is how she found herself wandering aimlessly through the hallways of the young artist's home, doing her level best to determine what was happening in each room. There was silence behind each closed door she found, until-  
“God, Basil, I knew that you had talented fingers, but I never knew that-” the voice, that of a young man, slowly slid out of the register of comprehensible speech and into a series of stuttering gasps.  
Lady Julia Shaw was not a gawker, she reminded herself. But, despite this, she felt herself press her ear against the door, terribly intrigued about this new development. A second voice spoke shortly after, one she recognized as that of the painter.  
“May I-”  
A sharp breath. “Yes!”  
The painter spoke again, his voice measured, almost to the point of tenderness. “You’re shaking. Are you certain that you-”  
“I have never been more certain of anything in my life, please-”  
Lady Julia Shaw was not, by nature, an intrusive person. So she walked away. And perhaps so should we.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, thanks to Tiefling_writes for encouraging me to post this, and, more importantly, for helping me write the thing. This is my second published fanfiction ever (the first being three years ago and on Wattpad), so let me know if the formatting is a bit wonky. Thanks for reading!


End file.
